Begonia is a decorative-deciduous, beautifully flowering plant, often grown at home and in gardens. It has many types, varieties, is annual and perennial, high or low, differs in the color of flowers, foliage. Caring for begonias is not difficult at all, but certain rules that are common to almost all flower varieties must be followed.
The Begonia flower belongs to the Begonia family, in which about a thousand different species. Among them are shrubs, shrubs, perennial, annual grasses, erect, ampelous, creeping and climbing, growing on the ground or as epiphytes. All kinds of hybrids, according to various estimates, number more than one and a half to two thousand.
All Begonians come from the tropics, and got their name in the 17th century, in honor of one of the Tahiti governors, by the name of Begon, who collected ornamental plants. In Russia, the flower was called "Napoleon's ear", as in some angles its leaves look like a reddish frostbitten ear. Now the plant is found in India and the Himalayas, in Africa and America.
Begonias are very diverse, but they all have a fruit box with the smallest seeds, asymmetric leaves, most of which are vaguely reminiscent of maple. The stem, like the petioles of the leaves, fleshy and juicy, flowers of the same sex, are located two or three pieces in the axils of the leaves. Due to its decorative effect, Begonia has become a popular indoor flower.
The main types, varieties of begonia
Begonia is conventionally divided into three groups, different in description:
Tuberous - these are various hybrids of tuberous begonia, in which a fleshy stem and tuber are erect and ampelous; they are recommended to be planted in open ground. Tuberous species are divided into giant, large-flowered, small-flowered;
leaf - predominantly stemless species with a creeping ground root, from which leaves of various shapes, color on long petioles (borschweed, red-leaved, royal, castor-leaved leaves, Mason, Griffith);
bush - they have a branchy erect stem (luxurious, incana, bright red, coral, metal, white-spotted, diadem, always flowering, winter).
Leaf Begonia
Most sheet rocks are characterized by a noticeable asymmetry of leaf plates. The leaves themselves are green, olive with silver spots, red-burgundy and even black, as if terry (black begonia). The most popular types include:
royal or begonia rex - beautiful, but very picky about the conditions of detention. All year round, it requires a fairly high humidity, because in hot summers, as well as during the heating season, the flowerpot is placed on a pallet with wet sand or a bucket, a can of water are placed next to it, leaves that are 25-32 cm long are regularly sprayed, have a dark color -green to pinkish-burgundy or purple;
brindle (it is also maple-leaved, Bauer) - the color resembles a pattern on the tiger’s wool, its color ranges from pale green to burgundy, with spots of silver, dark green color. Outwardly, it is a lush bush up to 30 cm high, on which there are many leaves, flowers are small, white. This species does not tolerate direct sunlight;
coral - bushy species, 60-110 cm high. The leaves are large, serrated, their upper side is green in a silver speck, the lower side is burgundy, small flowers, mostly pink;
carolinolina - creeping shoots, three to four cm thick, long dissected leaves on yellow petioles. The flowers are greenish-pink, the inflorescences are loose, have a racemose shape. Appear in February-March.
Decorative flowering begonia
The most often bred houses in greenhouses, decoratively flowering varieties:
ever flowering - a sun-loving hybrid that can grow both in a pot on the windowsill, in the conditions of the greenhouse, and in the open air of the park, lawn, and the territory of a private garden. Height - up to 50-65 cm, the stalk is erect, becomes semi-ampelous with age. The leaves are small, rounded, small flowers, pale white, reddish or pink;
Elator - at the beginning of the twentieth century, bred from tuberous species in England.Bloom profusely, almost year-round, cream-yellow, snow-white, pinkish, bright red flowers. The leaves are shiny above and matte below. The most popular variety is the Rieger begonia, named after the breeder;
ampelous - most often grown on balconies, in wall pots. Stalks drooping, decorated with a large number of terry, semi-double flowers, red, orange, white, yellow color or variegated. The sizes of the flowers are very different.
Popular hybrid varieties of decorative-flowering begonias
A great many hybrids have been bred under artificial conditions - usually they combine not only the most beautiful flowers, but also very decorative foliage.
The decorative-flowering hybrid varieties include:
Harlequin - a miniature sprawling bush up to 27 cm high, mostly green foliage. Terry flowers, large - up to 10-13 cm in diameter, yellow color with a reddish border;
Fireworks - the average height of the bush is not more than 19-22 cm. The leaves are green, the veins on them are raspberry colored. The flowers are semi-double, up to 3.5 cm in size, orange-pink in color;
Gold Dress - a semi-spreading bush, 20-25 cm high, with leaves of a pale green color. The flowers are bright yellow, terry, pink, with a diameter of 17-19 cm;
Marmorata is a semi-spreading bush, up to 27 cm high, red terry flowers have a diameter of up to 13 cm, their surface is decorated with light dashes;
Duck Red is a tiny, sprawling bush up to 15-17 cm tall. The foliage is dark green, the flowers resemble peonies, 8-10 cm in diameter, their color is dark red;
Dayana Vinyard - bush up to 25 cm high, decorated with pale green leaves. Dense flowers have petals in a “fold”, diameter 18-22 cm, painted white, cream;
Camellia Flora - the approximate height of the bush is 23-28 cm, the leaves are green. The flowers are large, up to 11 cm in diameter, camelliform, with tile-shaped petals of pink color with a white border;
Ami Jean Bard - a miniature bush grows to 10-13 cm, has small green leaves. Inflorescences consist of five double flowers, up to three cm in diameter, painted yellow-orange;
Crispa Marginata - a bush up to 17 cm high, folded leaves, green with purple veins. The flowers reach a size of 11-13 cm, their color is white, with a bright red border, the side petals are corrugated.
How to care at home
Begonia is very unpretentious, but it will look good only with decent care. When landing, it is required to allocate a certain place for it, which should be well lit, but not located in direct sunlight. Window sills on the east, west side are best suited, the depth of the room is on the south. A temperature of 17-19 degrees is ideal, but in the summer a little more is permissible.
Begonia is a plant of the tropics, subtropics, because it requires high humidity of air and soil. But most species are not desirable to spray with water - spots can form on the leaves from this. To maintain the desired humidity level, the flower is watered as the soil dries up, and in winter, when the air is very dry due to heating, the flowerpot is placed in a large tray in which sand or expanded clay is poured, it is constantly moistened.
Begonias need room - with excessive crowding, the plant will become sick, stop flowering, and begin to drop leaves. Systematic ventilation is also necessary, extremely low or high temperatures, as well as drafts adversely affect it.
Soil selection, pot
The pot will fit the most ordinary: clay, porcelain, in extreme cases - plastic. Its size is selected three to five cm larger than the existing earthen coma with roots. Excessively spacious flowerpots are not recommended, as the soil is easy to waterlog, the plant will bloom much later, it may begin to rot. The soil mixture is usually purchased ready-made, in a flower shop, less often - made up on their own.Its composition is leafy, soddy ground or humus, sand, peat, a ratio of components 2 to 1 to 1 to 1, acceptable acidity is pH 5.5-6.4.
Location, lighting
On a sunny southern window sill, begonia is usually not planted - there it will be too hot and dry. For most species, the eastern and western windows are optimal, and for some even the northern ones. A suitable light regime - soft sunlight in the morning, from 7 to 12, in the evening - from 17 to 22. Large-leaved species, especially with brightly colored reddish-burgundy, white-pink, spotty leaves, are more demanding on illumination. In addition to the hot summer period, it is permissible to leave them on the southern windows, decorative-flowering plants are placed in the northwest, west, east, northeast, less often on the northern window. Direct sunlight causes burns on delicate leaves, especially if the flower has recently been watered and there are droplets of water on it.
When there is not enough sunlight (from October to March), it is permissible to illuminate begonia with luminescent phytolamps. Recommended average daylight hours for decorative foliage, long-flowering species is 12-14 hours daily.
Temperature, humidity
Temperature conditions should not cause stress in the plant, that is, be relatively constant - about 18 degrees. In summer, the maximum allowable temperature is 21-24 degrees, the minimum winter temperature is 15-16 degrees. It is advisable to place the flower away from heating radiators, domestic heaters, gas or electric stoves.
Acceptable humidity is about 55%, in winter additional humidification is necessary. It is produced by spraying from a spray gun, placing water containers near the flower. When there are a lot of begonias in the house, it makes sense to purchase a special automatic humidifier.
Begonia planting
A young plantlet is planted in a flowerpot with a diameter of not more than eight to ten cm.One-third of the capacity is filled with drainage (sand, gravel, etc.), charcoal is poured onto it, with a layer of up to two or three cm. Such a filling will prevent the possible appearance of rot, even with excessive watering. Next, a flower with an earthen lump is placed in the pot, after which, gently sprinkling the earth, fill the existing voids. Then the plant is abundantly watered.
Planting is recommended before the beginning of active growth and flowering, when daylight hours are short - in February-April or October-November. Tuberous species need to be germinated first: to do this, the tubers are placed on moist soil in a box, and without digging, they are cleaned in a lighted place, the temperature in which is no more than 15-17 degrees, air humidity - 65-75%.
Watering
Watering the flower must be defended (24-36 hours) with water at room temperature, preferably rain or snow (thawed), but in no case boiled. All begonium breeds are hygrophilous, but you shouldn’t do this too often - it’s more important than air humidity, otherwise the leaves begin to dry. In the heat, abundant watering is required, but stagnation of water must be avoided - for this, drainage holes are made in the pot through which excess moisture leaves. It is watered when the topsoil has become completely dry one or two cm deep. In winter, tuberous species are watered no more than once a month, the rest every 7-12 days.
Top dressing
Begoniaceae are fed during the period of the most active growth, flowering. Top dressing of decorative-flowering breeds is done before the first buds have appeared, about once every ten days. For this, liquid specialized complex formulations are used. When the flowers are already “tied up”, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are used. By mixtures containing a large amount of nitrogen exclusively deciduous species are fed - in decorative flowering, the flowering process because of them begins much later or is completely absent.
How to transplant
Begonia transplant is performed in spring or autumn, before the start of the growing season, preferably in the morning or evening hours, when there is no sun. When a flower needs replanting, its roots are visible from the drainage holes. The plant with the roots is pulled out of the flowerpot, placed in a solution of potassium permanganate, and then washed in standing water. If necessary, rotten, damaged roots are removed. After the plant is transplanted into a pot, the diameter is two to three cm larger than the previous one. The flower is put on the “old” place, watering the first two weeks a little more often than usual.
The older the plant, the more difficult it is to transplant. It is advisable to divide instances older than three to four years during planting into several parts.
Begonia in winter
In winter, the flower is watered a little less often, since a dormant period begins for the plant. In evergreen breeds, it is weakly expressed, in tuberous, it is very long-lasting. In winter, acceptable conditions for decorative species are 15-21 degrees, high humidity. Tuberous “get ready for bed” starting in October - their foliage gradually dies, therefore watering is practically not needed. When the aboveground part has completely died, the flowerpots are placed in a dark place, with a temperature of 10-13 degrees. If the tubers do not enter the state of rest in any way, they should be “forced”, otherwise there will be no flowering next year. Watering is sharply reduced, the aerial part is cut off.
Bloom
Begonia is a monoecious plant, and both female and male flowers are present on each specimen. All of them are located in the axils of the leaves or are collected in cystiform inflorescences, according to the color - white and yellow, orange and red, pink and silver. Wild specimens have flowers up to 10-12 cm in size, but hybrids with even larger flowers were bred by selection - up to 25-29 cm in diameter. Such flowers noticeably differ from their "ancestors", more reminiscent of camellias, garden roses.
Breeding methods
Seeds in Begonia are not always formed, but this does not prevent the successful reproduction. Most often, begonias are propagated by pieces of the stem, cuttings, leaf processes, division of rhizomes, tubers. Different methods vary in complexity, rooting speed, but when performed correctly, they all end successfully.
Seed cultivation
A flower is rarely grown from seeds - this is not the fastest way, but the easiest. Sowing is carried out in February-March, scattering small seeds on the surface of the soil - no need to deepen. Flowerpots put in a warm bright place, cover with glass, a transparent film material.
Watering is done through a pan or spray. When the sprouts appeared, the shelter was removed. The pick is performed when there are already three or four "adult" leaflets. After seven to nine weeks, the plant is transplanted into separate small pots. With sufficient lighting, watering, they will bloom in the first year of life.
Division of a tuber or rhizome
Begonia deciduous species are often propagated by dividing the rhizome. The procedure is performed in early spring - the plant is taken out of the ground, the rhizome is divided into two or more parts with a sharp clean knife. Each piece should have roots, buds or shoots. The slice is sprinkled with fine charcoal, "dividers" are planted in separate small flowerpots. The tubers of the plant are also permissible to divide - they are carefully cut into the required number of parts, the slices are slightly dried, dusted with charcoal, planted in pots.
Propagation by cuttings
Cuttings are the easiest option for begonia propagation. Pieces are cut from the bush, on which there are three or more leaves, the slices are sprinkled with charcoal. The resulting cuttings are planted in a mixture of peat, sand, leaf soil, taken in equal proportions. Flowerpots are placed in a bright, warm area, where there is no direct sunlight. Watering should be moderate, as the soil dries.You can also root in a cup of water, which is periodically changed. The roots appear after three to four weeks, and the flower is ready for planting.
Leaf propagation
Begonia is unique in that the whole plant is able to emerge from a small part of a succulent, thick leaf. For germination, you will need a pot or a bowl with wet river sand, a piece of thin transparent glass. It is permissible to use both a whole healthy leaf and its pieces.
The leaf is separated from the mother plant, turned, large veins are cut with a scalpel in several places, laid “back” part down on wet sand previously calcined in a pan, covered with glass or a small weight. Watered through the pan. After one and a half to two months, where the cuts were made, roots will grow, and after a couple of weeks - real plants. When slightly strengthened, they are transplanted into a soil mixture of peat, sand, fertile land.
Diseases, pests
Like most indoor flowers, begonias are sometimes damaged by various diseases, parasites. This happens when the plant is weakened, due to inappropriate conditions of detention - improper watering, excessive heat or cold, lack of nutrition, excessive crowding, etc.
Of the parasites, Begonia is most commonly damaged:
red spider mites;
aphid;
nematode.
Parasites feed on the plant's juice, because it gradually dries up, the leaves grow dull, flowering stops. From a tick, insecticides such as Decis, Derris are used, against aphids - Karbofos, Actellik. Treatments are usually made two or three, with a break of 10-15 days. When infected with nematodes, spraying “Mercaptophos”, “Phosphamide” will help, but if the infection has already gone too far, the flower cannot be saved. Prevention of infection with parasites - clean, preferably warmed in the sun, earth, enough light, mandatory quarantine for each new flower in the collection.
Begonias sometimes get sick:
gray rot;
black root rot;
true or downy mildew;
botritis;
cucumber mosaic;
bacterial wilting;
tomato spotting.
The last three diseases are incurable, so the flower will have to be destroyed. In other cases, acceptable treatment - drugs "Quadris", "Fundazole", Bordeaux fluid.
Conclusion
Begonia cultivation is an excellent hobby, which allows you to decorate your house, apartment with greens all year round. The unpretentious plant is distinguished by its enormous species diversity, which allows you to choose the right specimen for every taste. If you comply with the minimum requirements for planting, watering, lighting and some others, the flower will delight the owner with its beautiful foliage and even bloom for a long time.
Begonia is a decorative-deciduous, beautifully flowering plant, often grown at home and in gardens. It has many types, varieties, is annual and perennial, high or low, differs in the color of flowers, foliage. Caring for begonias is not difficult at all, but certain rules that are common to almost all flower varieties must be followed.
Content
Begonia - features, characteristic
The Begonia flower belongs to the Begonia family, in which about a thousand different species. Among them are shrubs, shrubs, perennial, annual grasses, erect, ampelous, creeping and climbing, growing on the ground or as epiphytes. All kinds of hybrids, according to various estimates, number more than one and a half to two thousand.
All Begonians come from the tropics, and got their name in the 17th century, in honor of one of the Tahiti governors, by the name of Begon, who collected ornamental plants. In Russia, the flower was called "Napoleon's ear", as in some angles its leaves look like a reddish frostbitten ear. Now the plant is found in India and the Himalayas, in Africa and America.
Begonias are very diverse, but they all have a fruit box with the smallest seeds, asymmetric leaves, most of which are vaguely reminiscent of maple. The stem, like the petioles of the leaves, fleshy and juicy, flowers of the same sex, are located two or three pieces in the axils of the leaves. Due to its decorative effect, Begonia has become a popular indoor flower.
The main types, varieties of begonia
Begonia is conventionally divided into three groups, different in description:
Leaf Begonia
Most sheet rocks are characterized by a noticeable asymmetry of leaf plates. The leaves themselves are green, olive with silver spots, red-burgundy and even black, as if terry (black begonia). The most popular types include:
Decorative flowering begonia
The most often bred houses in greenhouses, decoratively flowering varieties:
Popular hybrid varieties of decorative-flowering begonias
A great many hybrids have been bred under artificial conditions - usually they combine not only the most beautiful flowers, but also very decorative foliage.
The decorative-flowering hybrid varieties include:
How to care at home
Begonia is very unpretentious, but it will look good only with decent care. When landing, it is required to allocate a certain place for it, which should be well lit, but not located in direct sunlight. Window sills on the east, west side are best suited, the depth of the room is on the south. A temperature of 17-19 degrees is ideal, but in the summer a little more is permissible.
Begonia is a plant of the tropics, subtropics, because it requires high humidity of air and soil. But most species are not desirable to spray with water - spots can form on the leaves from this. To maintain the desired humidity level, the flower is watered as the soil dries up, and in winter, when the air is very dry due to heating, the flowerpot is placed in a large tray in which sand or expanded clay is poured, it is constantly moistened.
Begonias need room - with excessive crowding, the plant will become sick, stop flowering, and begin to drop leaves. Systematic ventilation is also necessary, extremely low or high temperatures, as well as drafts adversely affect it.
Soil selection, pot
The pot will fit the most ordinary: clay, porcelain, in extreme cases - plastic. Its size is selected three to five cm larger than the existing earthen coma with roots. Excessively spacious flowerpots are not recommended, as the soil is easy to waterlog, the plant will bloom much later, it may begin to rot. The soil mixture is usually purchased ready-made, in a flower shop, less often - made up on their own.Its composition is leafy, soddy ground or humus, sand, peat, a ratio of components 2 to 1 to 1 to 1, acceptable acidity is pH 5.5-6.4.
Location, lighting
On a sunny southern window sill, begonia is usually not planted - there it will be too hot and dry. For most species, the eastern and western windows are optimal, and for some even the northern ones. A suitable light regime - soft sunlight in the morning, from 7 to 12, in the evening - from 17 to 22. Large-leaved species, especially with brightly colored reddish-burgundy, white-pink, spotty leaves, are more demanding on illumination. In addition to the hot summer period, it is permissible to leave them on the southern windows, decorative-flowering plants are placed in the northwest, west, east, northeast, less often on the northern window. Direct sunlight causes burns on delicate leaves, especially if the flower has recently been watered and there are droplets of water on it.
When there is not enough sunlight (from October to March), it is permissible to illuminate begonia with luminescent phytolamps. Recommended average daylight hours for decorative foliage, long-flowering species is 12-14 hours daily.
Temperature, humidity
Temperature conditions should not cause stress in the plant, that is, be relatively constant - about 18 degrees. In summer, the maximum allowable temperature is 21-24 degrees, the minimum winter temperature is 15-16 degrees. It is advisable to place the flower away from heating radiators, domestic heaters, gas or electric stoves.
Acceptable humidity is about 55%, in winter additional humidification is necessary. It is produced by spraying from a spray gun, placing water containers near the flower. When there are a lot of begonias in the house, it makes sense to purchase a special automatic humidifier.
Begonia planting
A young plantlet is planted in a flowerpot with a diameter of not more than eight to ten cm.One-third of the capacity is filled with drainage (sand, gravel, etc.), charcoal is poured onto it, with a layer of up to two or three cm. Such a filling will prevent the possible appearance of rot, even with excessive watering. Next, a flower with an earthen lump is placed in the pot, after which, gently sprinkling the earth, fill the existing voids. Then the plant is abundantly watered.
Planting is recommended before the beginning of active growth and flowering, when daylight hours are short - in February-April or October-November. Tuberous species need to be germinated first: to do this, the tubers are placed on moist soil in a box, and without digging, they are cleaned in a lighted place, the temperature in which is no more than 15-17 degrees, air humidity - 65-75%.
Watering
Watering the flower must be defended (24-36 hours) with water at room temperature, preferably rain or snow (thawed), but in no case boiled. All begonium breeds are hygrophilous, but you shouldn’t do this too often - it’s more important than air humidity, otherwise the leaves begin to dry. In the heat, abundant watering is required, but stagnation of water must be avoided - for this, drainage holes are made in the pot through which excess moisture leaves. It is watered when the topsoil has become completely dry one or two cm deep. In winter, tuberous species are watered no more than once a month, the rest every 7-12 days.
Top dressing
Begoniaceae are fed during the period of the most active growth, flowering. Top dressing of decorative-flowering breeds is done before the first buds have appeared, about once every ten days. For this, liquid specialized complex formulations are used. When the flowers are already “tied up”, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are used. By mixtures containing a large amount of nitrogen exclusively deciduous species are fed - in decorative flowering, the flowering process because of them begins much later or is completely absent.
How to transplant
Begonia transplant is performed in spring or autumn, before the start of the growing season, preferably in the morning or evening hours, when there is no sun. When a flower needs replanting, its roots are visible from the drainage holes. The plant with the roots is pulled out of the flowerpot, placed in a solution of potassium permanganate, and then washed in standing water. If necessary, rotten, damaged roots are removed. After the plant is transplanted into a pot, the diameter is two to three cm larger than the previous one. The flower is put on the “old” place, watering the first two weeks a little more often than usual.
Begonia in winter
In winter, the flower is watered a little less often, since a dormant period begins for the plant. In evergreen breeds, it is weakly expressed, in tuberous, it is very long-lasting. In winter, acceptable conditions for decorative species are 15-21 degrees, high humidity. Tuberous “get ready for bed” starting in October - their foliage gradually dies, therefore watering is practically not needed. When the aboveground part has completely died, the flowerpots are placed in a dark place, with a temperature of 10-13 degrees. If the tubers do not enter the state of rest in any way, they should be “forced”, otherwise there will be no flowering next year. Watering is sharply reduced, the aerial part is cut off.
Bloom
Begonia is a monoecious plant, and both female and male flowers are present on each specimen. All of them are located in the axils of the leaves or are collected in cystiform inflorescences, according to the color - white and yellow, orange and red, pink and silver. Wild specimens have flowers up to 10-12 cm in size, but hybrids with even larger flowers were bred by selection - up to 25-29 cm in diameter. Such flowers noticeably differ from their "ancestors", more reminiscent of camellias, garden roses.
Breeding methods
Seeds in Begonia are not always formed, but this does not prevent the successful reproduction. Most often, begonias are propagated by pieces of the stem, cuttings, leaf processes, division of rhizomes, tubers. Different methods vary in complexity, rooting speed, but when performed correctly, they all end successfully.
Seed cultivation
A flower is rarely grown from seeds - this is not the fastest way, but the easiest. Sowing is carried out in February-March, scattering small seeds on the surface of the soil - no need to deepen. Flowerpots put in a warm bright place, cover with glass, a transparent film material.
Watering is done through a pan or spray. When the sprouts appeared, the shelter was removed. The pick is performed when there are already three or four "adult" leaflets. After seven to nine weeks, the plant is transplanted into separate small pots. With sufficient lighting, watering, they will bloom in the first year of life.
Division of a tuber or rhizome
Begonia deciduous species are often propagated by dividing the rhizome. The procedure is performed in early spring - the plant is taken out of the ground, the rhizome is divided into two or more parts with a sharp clean knife. Each piece should have roots, buds or shoots. The slice is sprinkled with fine charcoal, "dividers" are planted in separate small flowerpots. The tubers of the plant are also permissible to divide - they are carefully cut into the required number of parts, the slices are slightly dried, dusted with charcoal, planted in pots.
Propagation by cuttings
Cuttings are the easiest option for begonia propagation. Pieces are cut from the bush, on which there are three or more leaves, the slices are sprinkled with charcoal. The resulting cuttings are planted in a mixture of peat, sand, leaf soil, taken in equal proportions. Flowerpots are placed in a bright, warm area, where there is no direct sunlight. Watering should be moderate, as the soil dries.You can also root in a cup of water, which is periodically changed. The roots appear after three to four weeks, and the flower is ready for planting.
Leaf propagation
Begonia is unique in that the whole plant is able to emerge from a small part of a succulent, thick leaf. For germination, you will need a pot or a bowl with wet river sand, a piece of thin transparent glass. It is permissible to use both a whole healthy leaf and its pieces.
The leaf is separated from the mother plant, turned, large veins are cut with a scalpel in several places, laid “back” part down on wet sand previously calcined in a pan, covered with glass or a small weight. Watered through the pan. After one and a half to two months, where the cuts were made, roots will grow, and after a couple of weeks - real plants. When slightly strengthened, they are transplanted into a soil mixture of peat, sand, fertile land.
Diseases, pests
Like most indoor flowers, begonias are sometimes damaged by various diseases, parasites. This happens when the plant is weakened, due to inappropriate conditions of detention - improper watering, excessive heat or cold, lack of nutrition, excessive crowding, etc.
Of the parasites, Begonia is most commonly damaged:
Parasites feed on the plant's juice, because it gradually dries up, the leaves grow dull, flowering stops. From a tick, insecticides such as Decis, Derris are used, against aphids - Karbofos, Actellik. Treatments are usually made two or three, with a break of 10-15 days. When infected with nematodes, spraying “Mercaptophos”, “Phosphamide” will help, but if the infection has already gone too far, the flower cannot be saved. Prevention of infection with parasites - clean, preferably warmed in the sun, earth, enough light, mandatory quarantine for each new flower in the collection.
Begonias sometimes get sick:
The last three diseases are incurable, so the flower will have to be destroyed. In other cases, acceptable treatment - drugs "Quadris", "Fundazole", Bordeaux fluid.
Conclusion
Begonia cultivation is an excellent hobby, which allows you to decorate your house, apartment with greens all year round. The unpretentious plant is distinguished by its enormous species diversity, which allows you to choose the right specimen for every taste. If you comply with the minimum requirements for planting, watering, lighting and some others, the flower will delight the owner with its beautiful foliage and even bloom for a long time.